Incredibly Southampton have not played away to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park since 2005, now they travel up there again almost to the day of their last visit, so for many travelling Saints fans this will be their first visit.
Our last visit to Blackburn was on 9th April 2005, when Harry Redknapp's Southampton side capitulated in the second half to go down 3-0, here we give you all the info to enjoy a day out in Lancashire.
The Ground.
My first visit was in February 1984 when Saints won 1-0 courtesy of a David Armstrong goal in a televised Friday night FA Cup 5th round game, nothing of Ewood Park remains from that day, with the stadium being completely rebuilt, indeed the oldest part of the ground today was built in 1988, however it has remained unchanged since the early 1990's when under Owner Jack Walker Blackburn won the Premier League.
In many respects it is still a traditional style ground with each stand separated from the others, the two stands behind the goals are fairly similar, but the stands on either side of the pitch are different, so it cannot be called a soulless bowl, as many new stadiums are these days.
Getting There>
By Car
The normal route to the North West and then procced North on the M6 to junction 29, then onto the M65 towards Blackburn – leave the M65 at Junction 4 (A666) and follow signs towards Blackburn. Turn right at the first set of traffic lights and Ewood Park is about 1 mile down the road on the right-hand side.
By Train
There are issues on the train services this weekend, so if you are planning to travel by train, check for potential strikes and delays first.
The closest railway station is Mill Hill which is around a 15-minute walk away from Ewood Park. It is served by trains from Blackburn and the journey only takes a few minutes. Blackburn station itself is at least a couple of miles from the ground and hence a good 25-30 minute walk away. Blackburn station is served by trains from Preston, Manchester & Leeds.
The main doors to Blackburn station face the bus station, from where you can take either a Number 1, 3 or 225 bus (the latter goes from Stand N) bus to the Stadium
Car Parking
Various private car parks are available in the area around Ewood Park (especially along Branch Road), costing in the region of £5. The nearby Hungry Horse pub also offers matchday parking at the same price.
If you want to get away reasonably quickly after the game (the roads immediately around Ewood Park are closed off for crowd safety for around 30 minutes after the game) then as you come down the hill on the A666, you will pass an Esso Petrol Garage on your left. Turn right at the next traffic lights into Branch Road and down on your left there are some industrial units offering matchday parking. After the game turn left out of the car parks so that you are going away from Ewood, turn right at the second mini roundabout and this will take you back up to the M65.
The Away Section
Saints fans will be housed in the Darwen End, this double tiered stand holds about 8,000, we have sold out our allocation of half of the bottom tier, a total of around 2,300 plus another few hundred in the upper tier.
The defeat at Ipswich probably means that there will not be a late rush for tickets now, so in total about 2.600-3,000 Saints fans will be in attendance.
The usual fare of alcohol and food is available in the spacious concourses you would expect from a fairly modern stand.
Drinking Eating Etc >
The away pub is the Fernhurt a short walk from behind the away end, which is on Bolton Road. Other pubs that welcome away fans include.
Golden Cup Inn – 610 Blackburn Road, BB3 0AJ
The Black Bull – Broken Stone Road, BB3 0LL
Postal Order – 15-19 Darwen Street, BB2 2BY
Fox & Hounds – Ewood, BB2 4LL
Brown Cow Livesey – Livesey Branch Road, BB2 4LU
The Navigation Inn – 2 Canal Street, BB2 4DL
Ewood Park
Capacity: 31,367 (all seated)
Address: Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4JF
Telephone: 01254 372 001
Fax: 01254 671 042
Ticket Office: 01254 372 000
Pitch Size: 115 x 76 yards
Pitch Type: Grass
Club Nickname: Rovers
Year Ground Opened: 1882
Undersoil Heating: Yes